Average Cost of a Manufactured Home in 2018

The article explores average prices for the different kind of manufactured homes as well as the cost of land. You can also see the comparison of prices for new manufactured homes vs new single-family site-built homes.

Why Manufactured Home?

There always has been a need for quality, affordable housing. And the prefabricated housing industry has come up with the solution for people who want a new home with all of the features that a site-built home would offer but at a fraction of the price - manufactured homes.

This article explores average prices for the different kind of manufactured homes as well as the cost of land.

First, let’s review what a manufactured home is and why it is more affordable than a site-built home.

A Manufactured Home is a home built entirely in the factory under a federal building code administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Manufactured homes may be single- or multi-section and are transported to your home site and installed.

Manufactured homes are less expensive because:

The factory uses an assembly line to build these homes. The process becomes more efficient;

It is built inside so there are no weather delays;

Manufacturing is not disrupted by theft of both workers and hooligans;

Due to the scale of production, a manufacturer buys large quantities of materials at less cost;

The property taxes on manufactured homes are lower than on-site homes;

Average Sales Price of New Manufactured Homes by Size

In the table below you can see how much Single Wides, Double Wides, and homes with more than two sections cost in the Western region of the United States in 2017-2018.

Average Sales Price of New Manufactured Homes by Size of Home in the Western Region (chart 1)

Total*

Single

Double

2017

January

$93,600

$45,800

$107,100

February

$104,200

$59,000

$115,100

March

$89,800

$49,400

$99,400

April

$93,000

$57,200

$104,300

May

$94,900

$47,800

$104,500

June

$106,300

$46,600

$125,000

July

$99,700

$44,500

$111,900

August

$91,600

$46,600

$110,900

September

$95,600

$51,700

$116,700

October

$95,200

$50,900

$106,900

November

114,500

49,800

130,300

December

96,400

58,600

103,900

2018

January

98,900

59,400

114,200

February

87,100

53,900

100,600

*Total - manufactured homes with more than two sections.

There are 3 types of manufactured homes: Single Wides, Double Wides, and Triple/Multi Wides. These are their main characteristics:

Single Wides

Average Size: from 500 to 1200 square feet

What’s included: 1-2 (rarely 3) bedrooms, 1-2 bathrooms

Double Wides

Average Size: from 1000 to 2200 square feet

What’s included: 2-3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms

Triple/Multi Wides

Average Size: from 2000+ square feet

What’s included: 3+ bedrooms, 2+ bathrooms

Winter vs Summer Manufactured Homes Prices in the Western Region

Average prices in the period January-March are lower than in other months. As there are fewer people buying in winter, there are fewer people selling in winter. So it is cheaper to buy a home in winter. But it is more difficult to find your perfect combination of size and style because there are fewer homes to choose from - and thus homes cost less. Some associate it with a school year.

$45,800 - $49,400 for a Single Wide

$107,100 - $99,400 for a Double Wide

$93,600 - $89,800 for manufactured homes with more than two sections

Otherwise, during the summer, there are many houses for sale and people can find their ‘perfect home’ fast, and they are willing to pay a higher price for it. So the average price range in the period June-September is higher than the rest of the year:

$46,600 - $51,700 for a Single Wide

$125,000 - $116,700 for a Double Wide

$106,300 - $95,600 for manufactured homes with more than two sections

Average Nationwide Prices

In the table below you can see how much Single Wides, Double Wides, and homes with more than two sections cost nationwide in 2017-2018 (chart 2).

The average cost per square foot for a multi-sectioned manufactured house is significantly smaller than the average cost per square foot for a single-family site-built house. It is $51,26 against $107,18 including installation costs for a manufactured home. Manufactured homes provide the highest quality at significantly lower prices than site-built homes.

Buying land. How much does it cost?

When buying a manufactured home you need to think of where will you put it. It can be a mobile home park or a lot that you own or going to purchase. Land values differ greatly throughout all 50 states.

Here are the average land values in the states HomesDirect operates in (chart 4):

Additional Costs to Consider

Utility Hookups

Electrical and telephone hookups should be discussed with the appropriate utility authorities that handle these hookups. If the manufactured home is located on an isolated property, then a substantial cost could be incurred for the hookup. Each utility can provide an estimate of the costs.

Delivery

Most manufacturers include delivery from the factory to the site if the site is within a fixed radius of miles, which in most instances is 100 miles (our internet pricing does not include delivery, setup, or sales tax). The purchaser is responsible for the expense of the additional miles beyond the radius of 100 miles as well as additional expenses necessary to deliver the home. These expenses include additional equipment and manpower required to access the installation site and place the home on the site.

Taxes

States and municipal governments within states establish a tax formula and a tax rate. Some states tax a manufactured home at the same rate as would be applied to a site-built home, or a stick-built home as some refer to the home constructed on-site. Some states like Florida have a tax that is similar to the license tax for a car. Local governments may add a tax, but even this tax is very low. Other states have significantly higher tax rates on manufactured homes.